The weather was gradually turning colder.
Yu Yan saw Gu Xichao standing beside the floor-to-ceiling window, silently gazing at the maple leaves outside as they slowly turned red. He called Gu Xichao several times, but the man seemed not to hear him at all.
Yu Yan quietly crept closer, then suddenly wrapped his arms around Gu Xichao’s waist from behind and spoke in a gentle voice.
“The weather is lovely today. Why don’t we go out and enjoy the autumn scenery?”
During the days Gu Xichao had been confined here, Yu Yan would occasionally make intimate gestures like this, as though they were still the same as before. It often caught Gu Xichao completely off guard. Still, Yu Yan had limited himself to physical contact and had not done anything else that crossed the line.
Gu Xichao pulled himself free from Yu Yan’s embrace and calmly put some distance between them before asking curiously:
“Why does the great celebrity Yu have so much free time today? Don’t you have any events to attend?”
Yu Yan replied as though it were the most natural thing in the world:
“I’m the boss. I can take time off whenever I want. Besides, no matter how busy I am, I’ll always make time for you.”
“Perfect. I have a few ideas about the embodied intelligence project you mentioned last time. I’d like to discuss them with you.”
Gu Xichao stood there with his arms folded.
“…”
Yu Yan complained inwardly. He really was a workaholic who did not understand romance at all—exactly the same as before.
Seeing the determination in Gu Xichao’s eyes, Yu Yan could only smile through gritted teeth.
“No problem.”
The plants in the private garden had shed the vivid intensity of midsummer, taking on quieter, more subdued shades. The lake reflected layer upon layer of trees in the distance. The autumn sky was high and crystal clear, with a few wisps of clouds drifting faintly along the horizon.
The two of them walked along the lakeside path, one ahead of the other. They could not move very far apart, however, because something had bound them together.
Gu Xichao glared furiously at the silver handcuff around his wrist. The other end was, of course, fastened around Yu Yan’s wrist. He had already cursed Yu Yan in his head the moment they left the house.
Still, he truly had been cooped up indoors for far too long. Getting some fresh air and spending time surrounded by nature had brightened his mood considerably.
They sat down on a bench beneath a red maple tree.
Yu Yan was just about to make conversation and reminisce about their past when Gu Xichao spoke with a perfectly serious expression:
“Last time, you said this embodied intelligence system was half as smart as Amity. You were probably trying to fool me, weren’t you? The actual figures likely don’t even reach a quarter of that. As it happens, I have access to the computing resources needed to make up for that weakness. To be honest, this is the promising technology project I discovered in Malaysia.”
Gu Xichao went on to explain the project in detail. Yu Yan rested his chin on one hand, watching Gu Xichao’s serious expression intently.
Behind him stretched a brilliant sea of orange-red maple leaves. With his bright eyes and refined features, Gu Xichao became increasingly animated as he spoke, his entire face glowing with energy.
Yu Yan suddenly thought that even the ancient emperors losing themselves in a land of tenderness could not have felt much more content than this.
“It can provide the data model and algorithms to serve as the ‘brain.’ Besides, Shen Jizhou and I invested in this data model together. If we want to integrate the two systems, naturally, he has to be involved.”
The moment Yu Yan heard that name, his mood soured. He narrowed his eyes at Gu Xichao.
“Are you really that unwilling to leave him out?”
“Have you even been listening to me?”
Gu Xichao was so exasperated that he laughed. This man truly had a talent for focusing on the wrong thing.
To prove that he had been listening carefully, Yu Yan repeated Gu Xichao’s explanation back to him almost word for word, then raised several questions. Gu Xichao answered each one in turn.
Finally, Yu Yan asked again:
“So, what you’re really saying is that Shen Jizhou has to be involved?”
He chuckled, thought for a moment, and added:
“Fine, I can agree to that. But I have one condition.”
“What condition?”
“Mm… I’ll tell you tonight.”
Yu Yan gave him a mysterious smile.
Not far away, two swans—one black and one white—swam toward them, leaving two long trails across the water. Yu Yan took a small packet of waterfowl feed from his pocket, led Gu Xichao to the lakeside, and scattered it over the surface.
The swans were quickly drawn over and lowered their heads to peck at the food. Their snowy white and jet-black feathers trembled gently with each movement. Occasionally, they flapped their wings, sending ripples spreading across the lake.
“Amity didn’t come with us. Do you know why?”
Yu Yan suddenly asked as he continued scattering the feed.
“Because it is only allowed to remain at Xilin Manor. That was my order.”
“It will stay there forever, guarding that house for you and you alone. It will never run away like Amy did, nor will it suddenly die one day.”
“It was born for you. This sense of forever… I think you’ll like it very much.”
At those words, Gu Xichao lowered his eyes, his thoughts impossible to read.
Leave a Reply